childhood bible stories old testament

CHILDHOOD BIBLE STORIES

OLD TESTAMENT

NOAH AND THE FLOOD:THE HOLY EXCEPTION

DAVID AND GOLIATH:WHAT DO YOU TRUST IN?

PHARAOH: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

JERICHO AND RAHAB:RIGHTEOUS FEAR

JONAH AND THE WHALE:SELFISH SALVATION

in this series

1/5

THIS WEEK’S READINGS THIS WEEK’S READINGS

more LIFE resources available attoolkit.salvos.org.au/youthandkids

2/5DAVID AND GOLIATH:

WHAT DO YOU TRUST IN?PHARAOH:

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

What is something you often put your trust in? What is something that reminds you of God’s power and Kingship?

1 Samuel 17:32-50Proverbs 3:5-6

Exodus 7-12Matthew 5:3Luke 6:46

What is one practical th ing you are going to do this week that wil l help you to trust in God rather

than something else?How wil l you acknowledge God is King this week?

CHILDHOOD BIBLE STORIES[OLD TESTAMENT]

NOTES

3/5

THIS WEEK’S READINGS

4/5


5/5


JERICHO AND RAHAB: RIGHTEOUS FEAR

JONAH AND THE WHALE:SELFISH SALVATION

NOAH AND THE FLOOD: THE HOLY EXCEPTION

What are fearful of?Is there someone who you think doesn’t deserve to be saved?

Joshua 2:1-20Joshua 6:1-25Psalm 33:8

Jonah 3:3-4:4Romans 3:23-24

What is one thing you will do this week to fear God rather than men?Who will you share Jesus with this week?

How do you feel about how the world is going?

Genesis 6:5-22

What is one thing you want to stop or start doing this week to live as the ‘holy exception’?

summary

1/5DAVID AND GOLIATH:

WHAT DO YOU TRUST IN?

David and Goliath , the story of the l it t le guy triumphing over the big guy - at least th is is what popular culture tel ls us.

But is that al l there is to the story?

This guide looks at who David and Goliath place their trust in and where we should place our trust, hope and strength.

I f you do activity 3 in “ Involve”:

• 1/2 an A4 piece of paper for each person in your group

• A pen for each person in your group

Be aware of referring to sins or issues in our l i fe as the “giant” or “Goliath” in our l i fe. We can’t draw seamless paral lels between David’s story and our l ives.

you will need

keep in mind

In 1 Samuel we read a story about a boy named David. His people (God’s people) were being bul l ied by a giant named Gol iath . Everyone was terr i f ied of h im. No-one was prepared to f ight h im. Unti l David came along…

To help your group connect on a relaxed level , spend some time discussing the fol lowing:

» Would you rather have a giraffe’s neck or an elephant ’s trunk?

» What was your favourite toy as a chi ld?

» What song or album can you not get enough of at the moment?

» What do you th ink it means to “put your trust in” something?

» What are some th ings that people today put their trust in?

» Have you ever put your trust in something/someone and been let down? What happened? How did it make you feel?

d iscuss

connect

read the bible

Your group members might f ind The Message paraphrase helpful .

Ask a volunteer in your group to read:

1 Samuel 17:32-50 (Questions for th is passage are on the next page)

» Which l ine stands out to you most? Why?

» David is smal l and hasn’t got a proper weapon or armour on. I f you were Gol iath what do you th ink you would you have been th inking as David came out to f ight you?

» What i f you were David? How would you have felt stepping out in front of Gol iath? What kind of weapons would you l ike to have had to protect yourself?

» Read verse 45 out loud again. Who do you th ink David was trusting in? Why do you th ink he was so confident in God?

Ask a volunteer to read:

Proverbs 3:5-6

» What do you th ink th is verse is saying?

» What does it mean when it says to not ‘ lean on your own understanding’?

» Does taking precautions (l ike wearing a seatbelt or studying for exams) mean we are not trusting in God?

» Do you th ink God tel ls people to do scary or seemingly crazy th ings l ike th is today? Why/why not?

» What is one th ing that you real ly want to become or achieve in your l i fe? Would you say that you are trusting in God with it?

i nvolve

Choose ONE of the fol lowing activit ies for your group:

» Activity 1 - Trust Scenarios Brainstorm

» Activity 2 - Sharing and Praying for each other.

» Activity 3 - ‘What do I trust in? ’ Exercise

activity 1 For each of the fol lowing scenarios, brainstorm ways that you could:

Trust in God

OR Trust in Yourself

Encourage your group to wrestle with the answers to these questions. The answers wil l not be black and white. The exercise is designed to equip your young people to trust God whilst sti l l using the wisdom and resources He has given them.

» You’re embarrassed or worried that you’ve never had a boyfr iend/gir l fr iend.

» You th ink God wants you to become a Salvation Army Off icer but would feel safer getting a h igh-paid job.

» You have important exams coming up. You’ve studied super hard but are so stressed about fai l ing that you can’t sleep.

» You feel confident that God has cal led you to go on a Christian mission tr ip but you’re real ly scared.

» You become sick and the doctors don’t know what is wrong with you.

» Your parents are getting separated and you real ly want your family to stay together.

Tel l the group that you are going to have a time of sharing and praying for each other.

Go around the group and give each member an opportunity to share with the group a situation in their l i fe where they are struggl ing to trust God.

Encourage the person sharing to name the thing/person etc that they are trusting in more than God so that the prayers for one another can be specific.

activity 2

Make a mental note (and later a physical note) of these so you can fol low up your group well during the week after your group has met.

You could play some music that talks about God being mighty whilst your group is brainstorming. Some suggested songs are:

Mighty to Save (Hi l lsong) Indescribable (Chris Tomlin) Mighty is our God (Studio Musicians) Jesus is the Mighty, Mighty King (Colin Buchanan)

activity 3 Have each member of your group share one thing that they are trusting in more than God. Get them to each write it down on a piece of paper.

To symbolise not trusting in this anymore you can do one of the following

» Tear up the paper into l it t le shreds

» Burn the paper (beware of f ire hazards and smoke alarms and always have a bucket of water/hose nearby)

» Scrunch up the paper and throw it into a bin

As each person destroys the paper on which they have written their item have another group member pray for them. You may want to lay hands on them as you pray for them.

Ensure that your group members are comfortable with the laying on of hands before you do this.

It can be good to lead by example and share first as a leader to help people feel comfortable and open up to one another.

Make sure you remind the group that th is is a safe space for sharing and we need to love and care for one another.

apply

After today’s LIFE group, what is one th ing that you would l ike to change in your l i fe? OR What is one practical th ing you are going to do th is week that wi l l help you to trust in God rather than in something else?

• David was a special individual in God’s plan for salvation h istory. He was God’s anointed King over Israel (1 Samuel 16:6-13) and at th is point in t ime that hasn’t come to be yet. So as David goes out to battle he knows that God’s promise of kingship wil l come true and therefore God wil l protect and help David in th is situation. This is why he so fearlessly trusts God at th is point.

• We can’t claim that God needs to physical ly protect us in every situation. But we can have assurance that i f we are one of God’s family, He wil l protect us in the spir itual sense and bring us to h is eternal kingdom.

leadersnotes

follow up

How have you gone th is week at trusting in God over and above anyth ing else in th is l i fe? (You could specif ical ly ask about the th ing they mentioned was what they trusted in over God)

About 3 days after your group has met, fol low up al l your group members and encourage them about what they learnt in your LIFE group. You could ask them:

summary

2/5PHARAOH:

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

You’ve probably heard of the 10 plagues of Egypt. This week we are going to look at the character of Pharaoh.

Pharaoh had a huge amount of power. He was the King of the entire known world!

But God had an inconvenient truth for him: Pharaoh wasn’t the biggest king out there. God was!

We also need to know this, and l ive accordingly

• Print & cut out appendix 1

I f you do activity 1 in “ Involve”

• A YouTube Clip of a song about God’s greatness and Kingship (see Leaders Notes for suggestions) OR ask group members to bring their acoustic musical instruments (i f they play!)

I f you do activity 2 in “ Involve”

• A box of random objects (i f you do not have access to nature or standard household items)

The story of the 10 plagues spans 6 chapters of Exodus (chapters 7-12). We wil l dip in and out of these passages to get an overal l idea of the story. As a leader it can be helpful to have read the entire story beforehand.

you will need

keep in mind


» What animal creeps you out the most?

» What is your favourite/least favourite season of the year? Why?

» Share with the group the best thing that happened to you this week?

connect

i nvolve


» Activity 1 - Sing a Worship Song

» Activity 2 - Objects about God’s Power

activity 1 You could sing along to the YouTube cl ip, sing a Capella or encourage any musicians in your group to bring along an acoustic instrument.

Sing a worship song together that acknowledges God’s greatness and Kingship. (See leader ’s notes for song suggestions).

activity 2 Give your group 10 minutes to find and bring back an object that says something to them about God’s power and Kingship.

Encourage them that there are no wrong answers.

I f possible, it would be great to give them time to explore outdoors.

I f you are in a space where there are no random objects, bring along an assortment of random items for the group to select from.

Some group members will need a couple of examples to get them thinking. (See below for some examples).

When everyone gets back, give each person a chance share which object they chose and why (see examples of objects on the next page).

Here are some examples for objects that remind us of God’s power and Kingship:

Leaves = If God did not send rain they would die.

Medicine = When medicine fails God can still heal.

Photo-frame = God’s power has saved us and made us part of His family.

Outside = God’s vastness and how big He is.

Mobile Phone = God is powerful enough to hear us when we pray to him at any time.

Paintings/Books = God is powerful to have created us different and unique.

Light Globe = God is the Light which dispels the darkness.

Glasses = God is so powerful that He is all-seeing and knows everything that is happening.

Dirt = God is so powerful that He formed man out of the dirt of the earth.

Fruit = God powerfully works to bring about spiritual fruit in us.

Have each group member grab one or two of the cut out verses from the pi le in the middle of the group. (Verses can be found in appendix 1)

Read out the plagues in order 1-10.

» How do you th ink you would have felt i f you were Pharaoh and these plagues were happening? What do you th ink you would have done? (See leaders notes for explanation of “Hardening Your Heart ”) .

» Pharaoh only turned to God when he was desperate. Can you relate to th is? Does God get more attention from you when th ings are good or bad? Why do you th ink th is is? How do you th ink God feels when we relate to h im l ike th is?

d iscuss

» Who do you th ink the most powerful people on earth are?

» Do you th ink their power makes it harder or easier for them to worship God? Why?

» In the Western World we are pretty powerful . When we get sick, we can go to the doctors and get medicine to make us better ; when we are hungry we can go to the fr idge or the shop to get food. In what ways are you powerful? (What decisions do you have power to make? What problems do you have power to f ix?)

» Do you th ink it was easier for people to worship and rely on God in the ‘olden days’ when technology and medicine were less advanced? Why/Why not?

» Do you th ink it ’s easier for people who l ive in poverty to worship and rely on God than it is for those of us who l ive in wealth ier societies? Why/why not?

» Matthew 5:3 (MSG) says: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there’s more of God and h is rule.” What do you th ink th is means? Does it match your experience? How?

In the Old Testament we read about an incredibly powerful man named Pharaoh. God wanted to reveal to h im an inconvenient truth - he was not the greatest King - God was. God shows th is to Pharaoh in a series of plagues.

I f you have some visual learners in your group you might l ike to show them the image of the cycle from appendix 1 and ask them if they ever get caught in a similar cycle.

Ask a volunteer in your group to read:

Exodus 7:5 Exodus 9: 14-16

read the bible

According to these verses, God sent the plagues to show everyone in Egypt that the whole world and al l people come under h is authority, even King Pharaoh. Have you ever experienced something that reminded you that no one is as powerful as God? What happened?

Ask a volunteer to read aloud:

Luke 6:46

apply

What is one th ing that you wil l change in your l i fe th is week to acknowledge that God is King?

Pray for each other about the thing you shared.

What do you th ink Jesus means when He asks th is question? What is one area in which you are not currently treating God as your Lord and King?

leaders notes

• Some worsh ip songs that acknowledge God as King inc lude:

- “We Fal l Down” (Chris Tomlin)

- “How Great is Our God” (Chris Tomlin)

- “Shout to The Lord” (Darlene Zschech)

- Salvation Army Song Book #156 “Crown Him with Many Crowns”

• ‘Harden ing our hear t ’ can mean that we reject God ’s author i ty over our l i fe . I t can be shown by us purposefu l ly reject ing H im, or by us s imp ly ignor ing H im or push ing H im to the s ide.

• Why do bad th ings happen? Why do I suf fer? Somet imes God can be us ing a bad s i tuat ion to get our at tent ion , but somet imes bad th ings can s imp ly happen to us because we l ive in a s in fu l and broken wor ld.

• A help fu l passage on th is top ic is the d isaster of the “Tower of S i loam” (Luke 13 :4) when Jesus exp la ins that th is d isaster was not as a resul t of the i r s in .

• These are a few help fu l quest ions to ask when you are suf fer ing :

- How can th is situation help me understand more about Christ , or become more l ike Him? With the help of the Holy Spir it we can learn to respond as Jesus did (Hebrews 4: 15-16) . We can also be ref ined and shaped to be more l ike our Saviour through these situations (Romans 8:29) and to develop characteristics that God wants to see in us – patience, obedience, trust in God, gratefulness for what I do have, compassion for others etc.

- How can th is situation produce humil ity in me, or draw my attention to a way that I am ignoring or disobeying God? I f you are convicted of sin by the Holy Spir it then remember God loves it when His chi ldren repent and come to Him for forgiveness and He wil l cleanse us (1 John 1 :9) .

follow up

What is one th ing in your l i fe that you have changed th is week to acknowledge that God is King?

About 3 days af ter your group has met , fo l low up a l l your group members and encourage them about what they learnt in your L IFE group. You could ask them:

APPENDIX 1

1st plague – Exodus 7:20-21 Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of h is servants he l i f ted up the staff and struck the water in the Ni le, and al l the water in the Ni le turned into blood. And the f ish in the Ni le died, and the Ni le stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Ni le. There was blood throughout al l the land of Egypt.

2nd plague – Exodus 8:5-6 And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt! ’ ” So Aaron stretched out h is hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.

3rd plague – Exodus 8: 16-17Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and str ike the dust of the earth , so that it may become gnats in al l the land of Egypt.’ ” And they did so. Aaron stretched out h is hand with h is staff and struck the dust of the earth , and there were gnats on man and beast. Al l the dust of the earth became gnats in al l the land of Egypt.

4th plague – Exodus 8:24 And the LORD did so. There came great swarms of f l ies into the house of Pharaoh and into h is servants' houses. Throughout al l the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of f l ies.

5th plague – Exodus 9:5-6 And the LORD set a t ime, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD wil l do th is th ing in the land.” And the next day the LORD did th is th ing. Al l the l ivestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the l ivestock of the people of Israel died.

6th plague – Exodus 9:8-10 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the ki ln , and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. It shal l become f ine dust over al l the land of Egypt, and become boi ls breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout al l the land of Egypt.” So they took soot from the ki ln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boi ls breaking out in sores on man and beast.

APPENDIX 1

7th plague – Exodus 9:22-25Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may behai l in al l the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the f ield, in the land of Egypt.” Then Moses stretched out h is staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hai l , and f ire ran down to the earth . And the LORD rained hai l upon the land of Egypt. There was hai l and f ire f lash ing continual ly in the midst of the hai l , very heavy hai l , such as had never been in al l the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hai l struck down everyth ing that was in the f ield in al l the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hai lstruck down every plant of the f ield and broke every tree of the f ield.

8th plague – Exodus 10: 13-15So Moses stretched out h is staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land al l that day and al l that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over al l the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever wil l be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate al l the plants in the land and al l the fruit of the trees that the hai l had left . Not a green th ing remained, neither tree nor plant of the f ield, through al l the land of Egypt.

9th plague – Exodus 10:21-23Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt .” So Moses stretched out h is hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in al l the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but al l the people of Israel had l ight where they l ived.

10th plague – Exodus 12:29-30At midnight the LORD struck down al l the f irstborn in the land of Egypt, from the f irstborn of Pharaoh who sat on h is throne to the f irstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and al l the f irstborn of the l ivestock. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and al l h is servants and al l the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead.

APPENDIX 2

Pharoahignores God

A plague isbrought on Egypt

by God

Pharoah says thathe recognises God

is mighty

Pharoah requestsMoses cry out to God

to stop the plague

God relentsand stops

the plague

Life resumesnormality

Pharoah rejectsGod/doesn’t follow

Him

Pharoahignores God

A plague isbrought on Egypt

by God

Pharoah says thathe recognises God

is mighty

Pharoah requestsMoses cry out to God

to stop the plague

God relentsand stops

the plague

Life resumesnormality

Pharoah rejectsGod/doesn’t follow

Him

summary

3/5JERICHO AND

RAHAB:RIGHTEOUS FEAR

I f you grew up going to Sunday School you might remember singing: “Joshua won the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumbling down.”

This week, we are going to revisit th is story but we are going to focus on a woman called Rahab. Rahab shows us what it looks l ike to have a righteous fear of God.

We are going to examine how she l ived this out and how we can do the same in our own l ives.

• 7 printed copies of appendix 1 if you are going to read the story as a script

• Internet to watch a youtube clip “BBC Chronicles of Narnia: LWW - Chapter 3/6 Part 2/3”


• Print out one copy of appendix 2 and cut out the characteristics of God.

It is helpful to know that ‘fear’ is not always meant in the negative way we use it these days. There is a clear explanation of th is in th is week’s Leader’s Notes.

you will need

keep in mind


» Which city in the world would you most l ike to visit? Why th is place?

» Share with you group a funny word you l ike saying, or a favourite saying you l ike to use.

» Which animal do you f ind the scariest?

» How would you explain the word ‘ fear ’ to someone who doesn’t know what the word means?

» What do you th ink the top 5 fears in Austral ia are? (Answers – 1 . Heights 2. Flying 3. Enclosed spaces 4. Snakes 5. Needles)

» Why do you th ink people fear these th ings?

» Have you ever heard the phrase ‘ fear of God’? Where did you hear it? What did you th ink of when you f irst heard it?

In the Bible ‘ fearing God’ is referred to as a good th ing and is mentioned more than 100 times.

d iscuss

connect

Ask a volunteer to read aloud:

Psalm 33:8 (NIV)

“Let all the ear th fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him”.

read the bible

» Do you th ink ‘ fearing God’ means that we should see God as mean and intimidating? I f no, what else could th is verse mean?

» Do you th ink fear is always a bad th ing? Is there such a th ing as “good fear” or “r ighteous fear”?

» What could a healthy fear of God look l ike?

This week we are going to look at a woman who feared God – in a good way!

The Message paraphrase provides a helpful retel l ing of th is story.

Ask a group member to read:

Joshua 2: 1 -20

Option 1 :

I f you would l ike to involve more members of your group in the Bible reading you can use the passage in appendix 1 that has been divided up into characters.

You’l l need 7 volunteers for th is: Narrator, Joshua, Person from Jericho, Soldier, Rahab, 2 x spies from Israel .

Option 2:

» By hiding the spies at her house Rahab risked being ki l led by the authorit ies. Surely she would have been afraid that her lying would result in her family being harmed! Why do you th ink she didn’t just hand the spies over to the King of Jericho?

» Rahab says: “ I know that the LORD has given Israel th is land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you.” (Joshua 2:9) How did Rahab’s fear of God affect her behaviour?

» Rahab made the decisions she did because she feared God more than people. Can you th ink of one example of when your behaviour was affected by a fear of people? Can you th ink of one example of when your behaviour was affected by a fear of God?

In C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series the character Aslan the l ion represents Jesus. Watch th is Youtube cl ip together. In th is scene Mr and Mrs Beaver describe Aslan to the chi ldren.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqSeKiO_Ip I&index=8&l ist=PL300D251591052D34

Starting at: 3.53min and stopping at 4.59

» Does th is cl ip from “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” help you understand having a good fear of God? How does it help? (Leaders: we want to get at the idea that it is good to fear God because of who He is.)

Let ’s fast forward a few chapters to Joshua 6 . Israel (God’s people) have crossed over into the land that God has promised to them and they are camping on the banks of the Jordan River, looking towards the city of Jericho.

Ask volunteers to read aloud:

Joshua 6: 1 -25

» The Israel ite’s were going in to battle with a dangerous opponent but God told them to simply march around the wal l of the city and blow their trumpets and shout. How would you have felt going in to battle with th is kind of strategy?

» Do you th ink it would have been hard as an Israel ite to trust in God and trust in His seemingly bizarre instructions? Why/why not? What do you th ink you would have done in their shoes?

» Joshua and the spies keep their promise to Rahab. When the city is destroyed, she and her family are kept safe. Fearing God more than people paid off ! Often fearing people seems easier in the short term. At the end of our l ives do you th ink we wil l wish we feared God more or feared people more? Why?

Each person in the group could read 5 verses each.

i nvolve


» Activity 1 - Choose a Characteristic

» Activity 2 - Sharing and Praying

activity 1 Print and cut out the characteristics (appendix 1) and scatter them on the table/f loor. Ask each group member to pick up a characteristic and share with the group how knowing th is about God helps them to have a righteous fear of Him.

activity 2 Ask each group member to share one place/time in their l ives where/when they struggle to fear God rather than people.

Have every person in the group pray for the person on their left about the th ing they shared.

apply

Each morning pray that God wil l help you to fear Him rather than men.

leadersnotes

“Scripture is ful l of examples of how fearing God is a posit ive rather than a negative th ing. For example in Genesis 42: 18 , Joseph wins h is brothers’ trust when he declares he is a God-fearing man.

It was because the midwives feared God that they obeyed h im instead of the authorit ies by sparing the Hebrew babies (Exodus 1 : 17) . Pharaoh brought disaster on h is nation because he did not fear God (Exodus 9:29-31) . Moses chose leaders to help h im on the basis that they feared God and wouldn’t take bribes (Exodus 18:21) and told the Hebrews that God met with them in a terr i fying display of h is power so that they wouldn’t sin (Exodus 20:20) .

The Mosaic Law cites fear of God as a reason to treat the disabled and elderly wel l (Levit icus 19: 14, 32) . And lest you th ink th is is only an Old Testament idea, note that Jesus states th is stronger than anyone when he says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to ki l l your body; they cannot touch your soul . Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hel l ” (Matthew 10:28) . And Paul says to work toward complete hol iness because we fear God (2 Corinth ians 7: 1) .”

Excerpt taken from http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/bible-answers/spir itual l i fe/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-god.html

How have you been chal lenged by Rahab’s story th is week?

About 3 days after your group has met, fol low up al l your group members and encourage them about what they learnt in your LIFE group. You could also ask them:

follow up

APPENDIX 1

Joshua 2: 1-20 (CEV)NARATTOR: Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: JOSHUA: Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especial ly about the town of Jericho.NARRATOR: The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab. But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho,MEN FROM JERICHO: Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.NARRATOR: So the king sent soldiers to Rahab’s house to arrest the spies. Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of f lax plants that she had put there to dry. The soldiers came to her door and demanded, SOLDIER: Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.NARRATOR: She answered, RAHAB: Some men did come to my house, but I didn’t know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate. I don’t know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”NARRATOR: The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river. Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were sti l l awake, so she told them:RAHAB: I know that the LORD has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. We heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. We know that the LORD your God rules heaven and earth, and we’ve lost our courage and our

APPENDIX 1

wil l to fight. Please promise me in the LORD’s name that you wil l be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show that you won’t let your people kil l my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their famil ies.SPIES: Rahab, if you keep quiet about what we’re doing, we promise to be kind to you when the LORD gives us this land. We pray that the LORD wil l ki l l us if we don’t keep our promise!NARRATOR: Rahab’s house was built into the town wall , and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall . She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall . Then hide in the hil ls. The men who are looking for you won’t be able to find you there. They’l l give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”NARRATOR: The spies said:SPIES: You made us promise to let you and your family l ive. We wil l keep our promise, but you can’t tel l anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We’l l take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house wil l be kil led, and it won’t be our fault.

STRONG

POWERFUL

FAITHFUL

HOLY

MIGHTY

APPENDIX 2

SAVIOUR

JUST

THE WAY

ETERNAL

WISE

PAGE 1 OF 2

MERCIFUL

RIGHTEOUS

ALL SEEING

JUDGE

APPENDIX 2

THE ONLY GOD

CREATOR

UNCHANGING

PAGE 2 OF 2

summary

4/5JONAH ANDTHE WHALE:

SELFISH SALVATION

Lots of saving takes place in the story of Jonah and the Whale. Jonah gets saved from a whale. More than 120 000 people are saved from death and a whole heap of animals are saved too!

Despite being saved by God h imself, Jonah does not want to see God save the people of Nineveh. He doesn’t th ink they deserve it . Do you th ink that the good news of God’s salvation is for everyone? Or are there people who you’ve decided don’t deserve it?

• And A4 piece of paper for each member of your group

• Pens and textas for each member to write with

It can be quite confronting to real ise that you have been judgmental of others. Be ready to pastoral ly care for people in your group, who may be struggl ing with th is.

you will need

keep in mind


» I f you could rename yourself, what would your f irst name and middle name be?

» What is your favourite TV show at the moment?

» What is something the group can be praying for you?

d iscuss

connect

Give each group member a copy of the comic str ip (appendix 1) .

Read th rough the comic together.

Encourage your group to us expressive funny voices & sound effects

God specif ical ly tel ls Jonah to go to Nineveh and tel l the people to turn to God for salvation but he defies God’s instruction, running in the opposite direction.

» Have you ever ignored a prompting from God to tel l someone about Jesus? What happened?

God uses the vine to teach Jonah that God is the one in control , He made everything, he makes everything function (l ike the vine growing) and he commands everything (l ike the worm to eat and the wind and sun to scorch the vine). God is showing Jonah, that he has no right to decide who is deserving of salvation and who isn’t) .

» What do you th ink God was trying to show Jonah by giving h im the vine and then taking it away the next day?

» Jonah does eventual ly obey God and warn the people of Nineveh to repent, but when God saves them Jonah gets angry. What do you th ink of Jonah’s reaction? Do you th ink he has a r ight to be angry?

» Have you ever felt angry when someone has been forgiven? What made you feel angry? Do you think it was reasonable to feel that way?

» Are there any people who you th ink God shouldn’t save? Or do you th ink some people are more deserving of salvation than others? Why/Why not?

read the bibleAsk a volunteer to read:

Jonah 3:3-4:4

Jonah is angry when the plant dies and yet is not distressed about 120, 000 people in Nineveh who are potential ly about to be wiped out.

» Do you feel l ike you have any of your priorit ies mixed up at when it comes to your family or fr iends being saved? Can you give an example of th is?

Ask volunteers to read:

Ecclesiastes 7:20 from the Old Testament

Romans 3:23-24 from the New Testament

» Based on these verses, who deserves Jesus’ salvation?

Ask volunteers to read:

Jonah 4:4-10

i nvolve

Choose ONE or BOTH of the fol lowing activit ies depending on your group’s t imings.

» Activity 1 - Sharing Salvation with others

» Activity 2 - Response Prayer

activity 1 Give your group an opportunity to confess times they have:

» Thought that people were undeserving of salvation or

» Run from God’s prompting to share the gospel with people.

They could do th is activity in pairs or around the circle with the whole group.

When they f in ish , assure your group that God loves to forgive and restore those who come to h im and ask for His forgiveness and help.

Encourage them to:

- Confess the situation

- Repent of their thoughts and actions in this situation

- Pray that God would renew them and help them to think more like God

activity 2

None of us deserve to be saved, but the good news is that our salvation has noth ing to do with us or how “good” we’ve l ived our l ives… rather it has EVERYTHING to do with Jesus and we are saved only because He is completely perfect and righteous!

Have you group write down a prayer to God in response to th is verse and the story of Jonah. I f your group members don’t enjoy writ ing you could al low them to draw, decorate or create their prayer in a different way.

Their prayers may have elements of reflection, confession, thankfulness and asking for help.

Be avai lable to help your group members write a prayer i f they request your help.

Read Romans 3:23-24 out loud again.

apply

Who is one person that you wil l commit to sharing Jesus with th is week?

AND/OR

What is one th ing you wil l do differently as a result of what we’ve talked about th is week?

Who have you shared your salvation with th is week?


follow up

APPENDIX 1PAGE 1 OF 2

APPENDIX 1PAGE 2 OF 2

summary

5/5NOAH AND

THE FLOOD:THE HOLY EXCEPTION

Have you ever heard the story of Noah and the Ark? Maybe you remember colouring in rainbows or singing songs about animals going in ‘two by two’.

In a world full of sin, Noah stood firm and lived his life God’s way. He lived his life as the Holy Exception.

This week we are going to explore how we can do the same.


• A print out of the table from appendix 1 for each member OR 1 large piece of butcher’s paper with your own table drawn onto it

• Enough pens or textas for your group to have a writing implement each

If you do activity 2 in “ Involve”:

• 2 large pieces of butchers paper

• At least 1 pen or texta for each member of your group to brainstorm with


• A comfy chair or bean bag

There are lots of quest ions in th is guide. As with a l l our LIFE guides they are just that - a guide. You might want to p ick and choose quest ions that you th ink wi l l be helpful for your group.

you will need

keep in mind

d iscuss

connect


» What is your favourite colour? Is there a specific feeling or mood this colour can put you in? Or a specific thing this colour reminds you of?

» What is the funniest thing someone has said to you recently?

» What is one thing you have been thankful to God for recently?

You could spend some time as a group thanking God in prayer for these things.

» How would you describe God’s feel ings about the way the world has been going?

» Why do you th ink God cared so much about how people acted or thought?

» Do you think He cares about your thoughts and actions? Why/why not?

read the bibleYou could have them read a few verses each and pass onto the next person.

Ask some volunteers from your group to read aloud:

Genesis 6:5-22

Which verse stands out to you the most? Why?

» In verse 8 we read that whi le the whole world rebel led against and ignored God, Noah pleased God. He was the “holy exception”. (Depending on which translation you read Noah is described as ‘r ighteous’, ‘ faith ful ’, ‘devoted’ and ‘b lameless’ in verse 8-9). How do you th ink Noah managed to stay focused on pleasing God when everyone around h im was sinning?

» Who is someone you look up to as l iving a holy l i fe for God? What does their l i fe look l ike? How do you th ink they keep l iving for God?

» Have you ever been in a situation where the easiest and most popular th ing to do was the wrong th ing? Can you give an example? How did you feel in that situation?

» In today’s world do you th ink it is easy to l ive a l i fe devoted to God? Why/why not? What makes it hard?

» Do you f ind it easier to l ive a holy l i fe when around your fr iends or around strangers? Why?

» Have you ever felt l ike l iving God’s way makes you look l ike you are crazy? Can you give an example?

» In verse 22 we read that: “Noah did everyth ing just as God commanded h im”. Do you ever f ind yourself wanting to partial ly obey God or obey but not ful ly?

» What is one practical th ing that has helped you to l ive your l i fe God’s way despite what others are th inking or doing?

Some members may struggle to cope with God wiping out the world. Hear their concerns and comfort them. Remind them that God is good. Also remind them that God is the one who created the whole world and as its Creator He has every right to choose what happens to His creation.

further questions for established Christians

» God clearly feels very passionately about His people l iving holy l ives! Do you th ink it was reasonable for God to “blot out ” al l the people who were being evi l? Why/why not?

We want to chal lenge those in our group with deeper thinking and discussion about deep topics. I f you group is mature these questions might be helpful , or you could individual ly chal lenge members of your group.

» Do you th ink God sti l l punishes people who ignore h im or rebel against Him today? I f yes – In what way?

i nvolve

activity 1

Choose ONE or ALL of the fol lowing activit ies depending on your group’s t imings.

» Activity 1 - Then & Now

» Activity 2 - “How to l ive for God” Brainstorm Exercise

» Activity 3 - Hot Seat

activity 2 As a group, brainstorm times when it is hard to l ive God’s way.

Some examples to help your group get th inking i f they are stuck:

» My sporting team often gets into verbal and physical f ights.

» My fr iends al l drink alcohol excessively.

» Everyone I know has had sex with their gir l fr iend/boyfr iend.

» There is so much gossip in my workplace!

» Everyone in my family is involved in petty crime.

You could print the A4 version out from appendix 1 and give one to each group member or draw up your own large table on butcher’s paper and do the activity as a group.

Then & Now

Fi l l out the table below as a group. Discuss with your group different th ings that come up as you f i l l out the boxes.

(Activity continued on the next page)

activity 3

apply

Now as a group, brainstorm practical th ings you can do to stand f irm and l ive for God regardless of the situation.

For example:

» Spend more time around people who will influence you positively.

» Memorise Scripture verses that will strengthen you.

» Openly and boldly tell you friends what you have decided to do/not to do and ask them to respect your decision.

» Have an exit strategy in place so that you can remove yourself from situations where you will feel tempted to sin.

» Pray every single morning that the Holy Spirit would fil l you and lead you to live for Jesus.

Place a ‘hot seat ’ (beanbag or comfy chair) in the centre of the room and give each group member a turn sit t ing in it . Ask the person in the hot seat to share one th ing they’d l ike prayer for and have the rest of the group gather around and pray for them.

I f group members feel comfortable, it could be helpful for the group to lay hands on the person in the hot seat.

Try to normalise praying for one another out loud. While we would never recommend forcing people to pray out loud, encourage your group members to stretch beyond their comfort zone.

What is one th ing you want to stop or start doing th is week to l ive as the ‘holy exception’?

Write these down so that you can keep each other accountable next week.

How have you gone with the th ing you said you wanted to stop or start doing th is week? How can I pray for you?

Try and include the actual th ing they mentioned in the group.


follow up

APPENDIX 1

Then (in Noah’s time) Now (for us)

The state of the world

The way that God saved

What living like the “Holy Exception” looked like

How God shows mercy

to people

This is a free resource produced by

The Salvation Army Australia Territory.

More LIFE Series and other free resources avai lab le at

toolkit .salvos.org.au/youthandkids

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